I suppose there are several reasons why I requested to review this set when it came out. The biggest one was that when I was in high school, I wanted to be a music writer, and I thought the coolest and most unattainable goal would be to review anything having to do with Depeche Mode.

I was always a huge fan of Martin Gore.
I came of age with "Black Celebration" playing in the background.
Anton Corbijn’s work with Depeche Mode inspired me to become a photographer.
I bought Counterfeit the day it came out at Rockaway Records in Eagle Rock.
All those things added together made me snatch this CD within a few minutes of hearing about it.

Sure, I have never hung out and shot the shit with Martin Gore, but in retrospect, after twenty some odd years, I kinda feel as though I grew up with him around. It was as if he rode shotgun in my Volkswagen Squareback during my adventures in teenagerdom.

The first bout of Counterfeit, released back in 1989 was a collection of songs that inspired him, fiddled with in Martin Gore style. The second bout does exactly the same thing. Sure, it’s a little on the predictable side, but it’s no less listenable. Once again, he picks songs to cover that music dorks like me (and probably you) would be familiar with, but the rest of the world would call new. The title cut, Nick Cave’s “Loverman” took a little getting used to, but a listen without the compulsion to compare and contrast leaves a very Gore-esque chill out, make out, or something out song. The arrangements are sparse, and the instrumentation succinct. This may be a little hard to get past for newer DM fans.

The attached DVD is a collection of 5 songs live in Milan, and a short interview with Gore. The presentation of the DVD is in keeping with the sparse theme.

The bottom line: I liked it, as it was like catching up with an old friend. The first question is always “What the hell have you been up to?” This is Gore’s answer to that question. This album will most likely not make any Martin L. Gore converts, nor will it make any Depeche Mode converts. Somehow, I don’t think that was the mission of this record. I think the mission was more like, “Hey, look what the hell I have been up to.”

I think that at some point in the next few months, I am going to try to set up an interview with the man whose lyrics were playing while a generation lost its virginity.

www.martingore.com